Relativity
(US); (UK) | Production =10310 | Writer =Rockne S. O'Bannon | Director =Peter Andrikidis | Guests =Linda Cropper (Xhalax Sun), Thomas Holesgrove (Vek), Dominique Sweeney (Thek, Vek) | Episode list = | Prev =Losing Time | Next =Incubator }} As Talyn recuperates, the Retrieval Squad finally catches up to him and Aeryn faces a part of her past. Synopsis Talyn has landed on a jungle planet to fully recover from his injuries. Rygel and Stark are complaining that "she" and John Crichton were extremely loud during the night and are now apparently "between bouts". In the next room, Aeryn and Crichton are in bed together, under the covers, and Crichton bangs on the wall pretending to groan. Aeryn tells him that, believe it or not, he was actually louder than that! As they kiss, Crais detects some ships in the vicinity and calls everyone to command. It's the Vigilante – the ship that's after them – and it's landed on the planet... Xhalax Sun and three Colartas, who are having problems with the planet's heavy gravity, emerge from a Prowler. The injured one says that it will earn its share, but Xhalax shoots it and tells the other two that their shares have just increased. Crichton, Crais, and Aeryn plan to go outside to act as decoys and keep the squad from finding Talyn until he has recovered. Rygel has been watching the chip of Aeryn and Xhalax, which makes Crichton angry and all protective over Aeryn's stuff. Xhalax is telling the Colartas not to screw up when they hear the sound of pulse rifles firing. On Talyn, Rygel and Stark find vines from outside growing inside him. Stark and Rygel start to try and cut them, but Rygel is convinced that Talyn will be able to pull free when he's fully recovered. Xhalax is watching Crichton, Aeryn, and Crais as they scout and opens fire. Much gunfire ensues and during the fight Aeryn draws Xhalax away from everyone. Crais is shot in the arm and elsewhere Aeryn manages to shoot Xhalax, but is distracted by Crichton calling for her. Xhalax grabs her from behind and tells her "move and you die"... Xhalax asks Aeryn where "he" is and a fistfight begins, during which Aeryn knocks Xhalax unconscious. Crichton finds Crais bleeding from the arm and Crais tells him that they're using Colartas, who will find and kill him if he's left bleeding. One of the Colartas' hearts has burst, and the two agree to continue the hunt without Xhalax. Aeryn has tied up Xhalax and has patched up her injured leg. Xhalax asks who she is and she replies that she is Aeryn Sun – her daughter. Xhalax says that if she is her daughter, then she is a Peacekeeper, but Aeryn responds that she is not anymore. Xhalax concludes that Aeryn must be with Crais. Stark tells Rygel that Talyn is almost completely healed and should be able to break free of the vines soon. Rygel is pessimistic about the chances of the others returning from an encounter with a Peacekeeper Retrieval Squad. Crichton is holding Crais up as they move on to look for Aeryn, as the latter is forcing Xhalax back to Talyn. Xhalax tells her that naming the gunship Talyn after her father is sentimental and weak, but Aeryn tells her that she has only kept Xhalax alive for possible use as leverage. Crichton and Crais are lost, but find some sludge that stinks which should cover their scent from the Colartas. Rygel tells Stark that as soon as Talyn's healed they are leaving whether the others have returned or not, just as Aeryn comes back with Xhalax in tow. The Colartas are confused since they are picking up no scent, but they manage to detect body heat. As Crichton is apparently trying to light a fire, he is visited by the Scorpius clone, who tells him that Crichton's subconscious summoned him. Crichton asks if the Colartas are everything Crais says they are, to which Scorpius responds by saying yes, in that at least, Crais was completely forthright. Crichton asks where Crais has not been forthright. Xhalax retrieves a blade from under her skin and cuts herself loose before inhaling some sort of booster that inflames her pupils and seemingly makes her immune to pain. She attacks Aeryn and Stark, and before Rygel can do it to her, she stabs him. She locks up Stark and Rygel, and Rygel is cut open and dying, barely managing to ask Stark for help. Aeryn is tied up, as Xhalax says how remarkable Talyn is. She's severing his higher functions so that she can take him to High Command. She tells Aeryn that her orders are to subdue the gunship for transport, then track and deliver the second target... Crais is tied up, as Crichton says that being a former Captain, he would know all the things that the Peacekeepers wouldn't want to get out and he mentions that he always wondered why Crais wanted Talyn so bad, but then it came to him – Crais needs them. He knew they wouldn't help him but would do anything for Talyn – the Peacekeepers are after Crais too. Crais adds that it's not the only reason he helped them, but Crichton says the Peacekeepers can have him, throws water over him and leaves Crais for the taking. On Talyn, Aeryn attempts to convince Xhalax not to sever Talyn's higher functions, saying that now she's finally found Xhalax she feels nothing but shame. Xhalax tells her that her sentiments won't work, and calls her daughter a traitor, telling her she is pathetic. Aeryn reminds Xhalax of the night she visited Aeryn, but Xhalax tells Aeryn that she paid for her actions. She says that she was given a chance to redeem herself – by killing Talyn, Aeryn's father. The Colartas find Crais, but Crichton jumps them and manages to stab the two of them. Crais is angry at being used as lure for Crichton and tells Crichton that if he's going to execute him then to just kill him, but don't leave him to die. He then asks Crichton how he will command Talyn if Aeryn is not there or if she's dead. Xhalax watches the vid recording, as Stark tells Aeryn that although Rygel was dead for several microts, he managed to seal Rygel's wound with the vines, which are aiding the healing process. Xhalax says that it's dead history; Aeryn's father is dead and Aeryn will now face a tribunal on account of high treason. One of the Colartas wakes up in the jungle, as does Rygel back on Talyn. He says that he needs bed rest, but Aeryn wants him to go and untie them. Xhalax leaves Talyn and retrieves weapons from the prowler, as Crichton and Crais make their way to Talyn with the Colartas' tracking device. Aeryn is cut free and goes after Xhalax, while outside Crais is attacked by the revived Colarta. Crichton helps, and as Xhalax goes to fire from the bushes, Aeryn jumps her. They fight and Xhalax tells her that she would try and take Aeryn back, but her corruption is too advanced. Aeryn says that her corruption began the day that she was conceived. She tells Xhalax that her independence came from the woman she had only seen once and she is the part of Xhalax that wanted to be a rebel. Xhalax calls Aeryn an aberration, but Aeryn says that she is her child. Crichton and Crais kill the Colarta, and Aeryn manages to get a hold of Xhalax's gun. Aeryn says that they have to kill Xhalax, but Crichton says that she cannot be the one to do it. Xhalax says that Aeryn can't do it, because she's afraid. Crais tells Crichton that Aeryn is right – they can't let Xhalax live - if they do, she will come after them again. Crichton says Aeryn will not be the one to kill her mother, so Crais tells him that he will do it. Crais tells Aeryn to go, saying that she must not witness this. Xhalax calls Aeryn a coward and Aeryn drops to her knees and asks if she is right and that if they let Xhalax live she will come after them again. Xhalax asks if Aeryn expects her to lie, to beg for her life. She says that Crais is right – she will hunt them down and kill them. Aeryn says a heartfelt "Goodbye mother," as Crichton takes her away. As they clamber through the jungle, Xhalax tells Crais to do it. Aeryn remembers when Xhalax came to her and as she goes to turn back, they hear the sounds of gunfire and Aeryn is left to be comforted in Crichton's arms. Back on Talyn, Stark says that Rygel's recovery is a miracle. He says that Rygel is lucky to be alive again. Rygel questions "again?" and Stark tells him that for a while he was dead and that when he joined with Rygel to bring him back he met with Zhaan. He says that she looked contented and whispered a prayer of guardianship; she's watching over them. Crichton asks Aeryn how Crais is and Aeryn says that he is trying to splice his neural engrams with Talyn's so that Talyn will be able to navigate on his own again and they can finally get some sleep, or not. She tells Crichton that he doesn't have to wait up, but he says he wants to. She tells him that it's all that they can do, but Crichton is concerned that a large part of Crais' psyche will now reside in Talyn, but it's the only way to bring Talyn back to life. Aeryn then tells Crichton that with Xhalax gone, all her connections to the Peacekeepers are completely severed. Memorable quotes * :Stark: Friend or foe, friend or foe, friend or foe- :Rygel: Will you shut the frell up? Of course it's a foe! We have no friends! * :Crais: You leave me here bleeding, they will find me and kill me. :John: ...And? * :John: You lied to us! You betrayed us, and you used us! :Crais: I used all my assets to stay alive, and those assets were you! * :Aeryn: You cared enough then to risk everything, to meet the child that you had conceived. You can't have burned that love away completely. I am that child. I am part of you. I am part of Talyn. The Peacekeeper way isn't the only way. It's not too late for you." :Xhalax: Nooo! This is dead history. Your father is dead. And you... you will face a Peacekeeper tribunal, on a charge of high treason." * :Rygel: She was bad enough, but Crichton-- he was louder than she was! He actually sounded like he was exerting himself! What kind of a male is he anyway? Background information * Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) and Gigi Edgley (Chiana) do not appear in this episode. * This is the first episode written by Rockne S. O'Bannon since the first season. * The jungle planet was constructed on a sound stage at Homebush Bay. No location filming took place. Every type of special effects machine was used to enhance the atmosphere, including fog machines, dry ice, and fire machines. ( ) * Linda Cropper injured her knee the day before shooting her scenes for this episode. Ironically, it was not the same knee as was injured in the script. ( ) * The injured version of Rygel was not recycled from the autopsied puppet seen in "A Human Reaction", but was created for the episode. ( ) * Creature costume designer Lou Elsey gave the Colartas' look an Egyptian theme in order to hide the costumes' zippers and seams in a creative way. ( ) * Guy Gross used the score to underline the emotional struggle between Aeryn and Xhalax Sun during their physical confrontation. ( ) * Crais' yelp of pain as Crichton manhandles him through the jungle is genuine. Lani Tupu stumbled as Ben Browder was pulling on his arm. Tupu insisted on repeating the yelp on subsequent takes. ( ) Links and references Starring * Ben Browder as John Crichton * Claudia Black as Aeryn Sun * Anthony Simcoe as Ka D'Argo * Gigi Edgley as Chiana * Paul Goddard as Stark * Lani Tupu as Bialar Crais * Wayne Pygram as Scorpius Guest stars * Linda Cropper as Xhalax Sun * Thomas Holesgrove as Vek * Dominique Sweeney as Thek, Vek Puppeteers * Sean Masterson * Tim Mieville * Mat McCoy * Mario Halouvas * Fiona Gentle * Peter Fromont Voice artists * Jonathan Hardy as Rygel * Lani Tupu as Pilot References arn; Buckwheat; captain; chakan mist; Cocoa Puffs; Colarta; control collar; dellot; Diagnosan; dren; fahrbot; fotzing; frell; gunship; Harvey; heklakos; hezmana; hingmot; Inquisitor; Julie; Leviathan; microt; mivonks; neural engram; nimrod; Oarusk fruit; Old Faithful; Pantak-class Vigilante; Peacekeeper; Peacekeeper High Command; Peacekeeper ranks; Peacekeeper Tech; Peacekeeper tribunal; pellish venker; piña colada; prowler; pulse rifle; Sebacean; snarking; Talyn; Wonder, Stevie; Zhaan, Zotoh External link * Category:Season 3 episodes